More than 60 lean tools were unveiled, and SHEIN's flexible lean innovation continued to help the upgrading of clothing manufacturing

Smart production templates that make the seams of gloves smooth, "zigzag" auxiliary tools that can easily and standardizedly achieve center sewing of V-necks, presser tools that cleverly protect the beads on the surface of the fabric, auxiliary tools that can replace hand-sewn diamond chains ... Suppliers and equipment manufacturers gathered around the booth and had a great time discussing the tools developed by SHEIN to promote flexible lean production, and even verified the effectiveness of the tools on site .

Recently, SHEIN's Tool Day was held at its Apparel Manufacturing Innovation Research Center. SHEIN showcased more than 60 self-developed technical tools for more than 20 industry processes and cutting-edge smart devices on the same stage. The on-site participation of suppliers and industry equipment manufacturers turned the Tool Day into a communication and sharing platform. The "people who can hear the gunfire" in the supply chain witnessed the actual effect of flexible lean innovation and put forward the latest pain points and needs. SHEIN's continuous technological innovation empowers the flexible supply chain to continuously iterate process improvements and process optimization, making the delivery quality of the flexible on-demand supply chain more standardized and the production process more lean.

With the continuous construction of SHEIN's technology-driven flexible supply chain system, SHEIN's all-round empowerment of suppliers is also continuing to deepen. Data shows that SHEIN has conducted 230 full-chain supplier training sessions in the past six months this year. As of May , it has helped nearly 200 cooperative supplier factories to expand and renovate 500,000 square meters of factory buildings. Many supplier community charity projects such as "Gathering Stars" are also progressing steadily .

SHEIN 's comprehensive and diversified empowerment actions for suppliers allow partners to become "question setters", "question answerers" and "examination examiners" for flexible innovation in the supply chain, continuously promoting flexible innovation and lean upgrading of the supply chain, and continuously assisting the transformation and upgrading of the traditional manufacturing industry and its high-quality overseas expansion.

Use innovative tools to support lean production, and use technology to continuously create flexible new quality productivity

Using the developed glove template, the intelligent template machine can be started with one button, and the needle will automatically sew along the palm contour of the template. Even a novice can quickly produce a pair of gloves with smooth seams. The application of templates simplifies complex processes, reduces technical difficulty, and improves production efficiency and product quality. The use of auxiliary tools such as presser feet and pull tubes also allows the clothing process to achieve the effect of small investment and great improvement.

For the complex sewing of "beaded fabrics", the conventional practice is to manually destroy the beads at the sewing part with a hammer or pliers. With the help of innovative tools, SHEIN R&D personnel installed a presser foot accessory that extends like a bird's beak and has round beads at the front end on the sewing flatbed. With the downward pressure applied during sewing, the presser foot will automatically push away the beads on the fabric and pass smoothly through the gaps between the beads, completing the sewing easily and completely protecting the beads on the fabric.

The "heart" at the bottom of the V-neck is crooked and not centered, or a "dimple" is formed due to the heart being sewn too long . This is a common problem in the sewing of the heart. At the tool day, the "herringbone sewing machine" with modified presser foot and needle plate accessories was able to fix the heart position in advance. With just one "step" of the machine needle, novices can easily sew the heart in the center. While reducing the difficulty of production technology, it also makes the product quality more stable and the delivery standards more unified.  

"Some of these tools actually have very low investment costs, but they can have an immediate effect," said the on-site supplier, "We must keep up with SHEIN!" Most of the needs for the development of the above-mentioned tools and equipment were discovered by SHEIN through daily cooperation with suppliers , and many project innovations have also obtained national patent certification. SHEIN continues to invest in and develop new technical tools and solutions, and delivers and shares these new technologies, tools, and solutions to its upstream and downstream partners , helping suppliers to achieve lean production and optimization throughout the entire chain.

Previously, the industry's traditional production model of "guessing market demand and preparing stocks in advance quarterly" with heavy capital, high inventory, and long account period brought about the "hard-to-solve" problem of high inventory of clothing. Under SHEIN's flexible supply chain model of on-demand production, fashion trends are analyzed and tracked in real time. All SKUs start with very small orders, generally with a minimum order of 100-200 pieces. If the sales trend is good, the order will be returned immediately, but if the sales do not meet expectations, production will be suspended. This method of on-demand production and timely response and adjustment based on market and consumer needs reduces the waste of raw materials and production resources from the source and greatly reduces inventory levels. In this way, SHEIN can reduce the inventory rate to single digits, which is less than one-tenth of the average level of unsold inventory of other brands in the industry.

The reason behind SHEIN 's ability to achieve a flexible on-demand supply chain is its comprehensive promotion of digital upgrades for traditional suppliers . This process cannot be easily achieved overnight , but is the result of more than ten years of continuous exploration and innovation with suppliers in the optimization and iteration of technology and applications.

A flexible on-demand supply chain means dealing with numerous fragmented order managements and operators needing to master the skills of multiple complex processes, while also ensuring that fragmented, flexible orders can maintain consistent quality output standards. SHEIN develops digital technology tools and empowers suppliers, allowing each link in the supplier's production and manufacturing process to be upgraded online and digitally, so that the means of production and production factors can be matched with maximum accuracy and intelligence at each link. At the same time, by collecting and exploring the actual pain points and needs of suppliers in production, the complex processes and difficulties in clothing manufacturing are disassembled, and solutions are given separately, continuously launching flexible innovative tools to improve production efficiency and product quality.

Through the use of these innovative tools, SHEIN has also standardized the delivery quality of products with complex production processes in the non-standard clothing industry , promoted the lean upgrade of flexible on-demand production, and further promoted the lean development of flexible on-demand supply chains.

Zhang Chen, who started his career right after graduating from junior high school, started his own business in 2005 and is now a factory owner with three factories and nearly 400 employees. After becoming a supplier of SHEIN , Zhang Chen built a flexible standardized factory with SHEIN, equipped with hanging and automatic cutting equipment, as well as a series of self-developed tools of SHEIN. He said, "We must continue to make progress."

A total of over 500,000 square meters of factory buildings have been upgraded , 230 new training sessions have been added , fully empowering and helping the transformation and upgrading of traditional manufacturing industries

"Transforming and upgrading traditional industries, continuously releasing new quality productivity." By fully empowering suppliers, SHEIN continues to build a healthy and sustainable overseas ecosystem, helping the transformation and upgrading of the traditional clothing manufacturing industry.

In 2023 , SHEIN announced a five- year investment of 500 million yuan to continuously invest in supplier empowerment in many aspects , including technological innovation, training support, factory expansion , and supplier community services . It also established the first clothing manufacturing innovation research center, combining its innovative practice of on-demand production with lean production for cutting-edge exploration, exploring the establishment of " flexible supply chain standards " , and continuously assisting the transformation and upgrading of the traditional clothing manufacturing industry. The above-mentioned more than 60 innovative flexible lean tools were developed in the clothing manufacturing innovation research center.

In addition to empowering technological innovation, SHEIN focuses on comprehensive training for suppliers in various aspects such as business management, organizational structure, and process technology to enhance their overall competitiveness. In the nearly six months since 2024 , SHEIN has held 230 supplier training sessions, and carried out national professional skill level certification at the same time to cultivate professional and outstanding technical and management talents for the entire industry. SHEIN has also established a skills training base for clothing industry personnel to supply rural revitalization industry technicians to the central and western regions .

In addition to these, SHEIN has also invested 100 million yuan to help suppliers' factories expand and upgrade . As of May 2024, SHEIN has helped nearly 200 cooperative supplier factories to upgrade 500,000 square meters of factory buildings, benefiting nearly 33,000 people.

In terms of improving the happiness of employees in the supplier community and public welfare, SHEIN has also invested funds to assist suppliers in the coverage and upgrading of supporting facilities such as leisure and entertainment multi-functional rooms, which currently cover 11,000 square meters and greatly improve the satisfaction of supplier employees. As of June 11 , the "Starlight Project " to alleviate the temporary economic difficulties of supplier employees ' families has cumulatively funded more than 540 families, of which more than 1,100 children are in the education stage; the investment has cumulatively helped more than 30 suppliers build children's homes , providing free child care, learning and growth services for supplier employees, and has cumulatively served 28,000 people.

At the same time, SHEIN continues to work with suppliers to promote sustainable development strategies throughout the product life cycle . In addition to reducing waste at the source through a flexible on-demand supply chain , SHEIN has deeply embedded environmental and sustainable concepts in every aspect of production, manufacturing, and operations, from environmentally friendly raw materials and raw material recycling to research and development , production , manufacturing, logistics, and product recirculation throughout the entire life cycle , and has empowered ecological partners with ESG capabilities.

For example, the supplier rooftop photovoltaic project unveiled at the Craftsmanship Tool Day event is SHEIN's commitment to promoting supplier factories to use more economical, clean and environmentally friendly green electricity , providing rooftop photovoltaic support and special cash incentives to supplier factories that meet the conditions , and tailor-making exclusive photovoltaic system installation solutions.

The " Energy Efficiency Navigator " project is a supply chain energy efficiency improvement project newly established by SHEIN this year . It aims to invite experts in the field of energy efficiency to provide suppliers with universal, simple and efficient energy-saving measures, helping suppliers to significantly reduce energy consumption in production, further reduce energy costs, and achieve a win-win situation of economic benefits and environmental friendliness.

(Zhang Chen is a pseudonym in this article)

SHEIN

Innovation